Residents along Greasy Ridge Road want motorists to slow down.

"Everyone has stories about incidents that have happened," resident Jane Kendrick said Thursday as she took a petition to reduce the speed limit before Lawrence County Commissioners. Kendrick and others want the speed limit reduced from 55 to 45 mph.

"About five weeks ago, a man came out of one of the curves, ran through our hayfield and into our orchard and hit a tree. My husband had to use a tractor to pull him out. There's not a place on Greasy Ridge that I know of that you can do 55 -- safely. Our hope is that you can post the speed and reduce it."

Lawrence County Commissioners will ask the county engineer's office to consider the speed reduction on 6 miles of the road near State Route 243.

Nate Dickerson, an engineering assistant with the county engineer's office, said a number of factors are considered when a study is conducted to reduce the speed on a road, including the number of houses and intersections, the amount of traffic and the number of accidents on the roadway.

Dickerson said the engineer's office conducts the study and then forwards

the information to the Ohio Department of Transportation, which makes the final determination on the proper speed limit.